Methods of producing neurons

Abstract

The invention provides a method of producing neurons from undifferentiated mesenchymal cells (UMC). Also featured by the invention is an isolated neuron produced by this method, compositions containing such neurons, and a method of repairing damaged or defective neural tissues using such compositions.

1. A method of producing neurons, the method comprising: incubating a population of mammalian cells in a plasma clot containing about 6 mM to about 18 mM Ca2+,
 wherein the mammalian cells are: (i) human or rat cells; and (ii) skin cells, fat tissue cells, or bone marrow cells, and 
 wherein the incubation is carried out in a culture medium comprising one or more additives selected from the group consisting of B27 supplement, epidermal growth factor, R3 long form insulin-like growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and leukemia inhibitory factor, wherein during the incubation neurons appear in the plasma clot. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein population of cells is a population of skin cells. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1  wherein the population of cells is a population of fat tissue cells. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of cells is a population of non-adherent derivative cells, the non-adherent derivative cells produced by a process comprising:
 (a) culturing starting cells obtained from a tissue selected from the group consisting of skin, fat, and bone marrow; and 
 (b) harvesting the population of non-adherent derivative cells from said culture. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , the process further comprising one or more rounds of derivitization comprising repeating steps (a) and (b) utilizing the harvested population of non-adherent derivative cells from the previous round as the starting cells. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the one or more additional rounds of derivatization comprises from one to twenty rounds. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 4 , further comprising culturing said non-adherent cells in the presence of acidic fibroblast growth factor. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising harvesting the population of neurons from the plasma clot. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising culturing the harvested population of cells in a serum-free culture medium. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the population of cells is obtained from an individual to whom the neurons are administered. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 4 , wherein said tissue is dermal tissue. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 4 , wherein said tissue is adipose tissue. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of mammalian cells is a population of human cells. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of mammalian cells is a population of rat cells.